Morning-after pill available free in Wales - even to under 16s if 'clinically appropriate'

The morning-after pill is being handed out for free from high street chemists in Wales – even to girls under 16.

Ministers hope the controversial move will reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, which is among the highest in Europe.

Women and girls can now walk into pharmacies and supermarkets to obtain the emergency contraception pill, which normally costs around £25.

Irresponsible? Pharmacists in Wales will be able to give the free pill to girls under the age of 16 - if they believe it is 'clinically appropriate' (pictures posed by models)

The Government has insisted there are no plans to introduce similar laws in England, although some pharmacies already offer it free of charge.

But critics fear the change will promote a casual and irresponsible attitude to sex.They point out women will know that they can easily get hold of the pill within 72 hours of sex, when it is most effective at preventing pregnancy.

There are also concerns that the rate of sexually transmitted infections will increase as couples are less inclined to use condoms.

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Under the laws introduced yesterday, pharmacies will be able to hand out the pill to girls under 16, even though they are below the legal age of consent.

Pharmacists have been instructed to make their own judgments when young girls request the pill and carry out a full consultation to establish that they know exactly what they are asking for.

Initially, the morning-after pill will be free only in 700 chemists in Wales, but it will gradually be available at all pharmacies and supermarkets across the country.

In England and other parts of the UK, women usually have to buy it from a chemist. They can get it free of charge with a prescription from their GP or at a family planning clinic.

Several local health trusts including Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark in South London have also begun schemes to give it out for free from some chemists – although there are no plans for a national policy.

However, critics and GPs warn that such schemes only encourage promiscuity, particularly among younger age groups.

Josephine Quintavalle, founder of campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: ‘It’s absolutely the wrong way to address the problems of high rates of teenage pregnancy in Wales.

‘The idea that young girls can just walk into a chemist will mean they become even less responsible about sexuality.

Pregnant schoolgirl

‘I don’t see how any chemist can stop a 12-year-old taking the morning-after pill – some 12-year-olds do look like 16-year-olds these days.’

Dr Marina Arulanandam, of the Llandaff Surgery in Cardiff, stressed the importance of young people understanding the dangers of unprotected intercourse.

‘It’s not just pregnancy they should worry about, it’s sexually transmitted diseases,’ she said.

‘These are huge problems we need to be addressing and I don’t think the pharmacies will have enough time to do this.’

Anthony Ozimic, from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: ‘Such promotion has an adverse effect on many young and vulnerable women.

‘It encourages men to see young women as sex objects, who can be exploited without responsibility for the consequences.

‘The rampant increase in STIs may be partly due to greater reliance on morning-after pills.’

Earlier this year researchers at Nottingham University found that areas where the morning-after pill was available for free had higher rates of STIs.